DRUG ADDICTS WHO CAN'T KICK THE HABIT DON'T DESERVE THE BOOT

Three cheers for George Steinbrenner. One for putting together a team
good enough to win the American League pennant. Another for demanding
that the Yankees take the World Series next year. And a third --- the
loudest one --- for giving Darryl Strawberry a job as a minor-league
hitting instructor.

Strawberry has been in trouble so often, it's hard to believe he's
only 41 years old. Had he taken care of himself, he still could be
playing ball. Instead, he's a junkie.

Countless times, Strawberry has been arrested for using drugs.
Countless times, he has apologized, begged for another chance --- and
blown it.

Nobody believes he'll stay clean anymore, including judges. After
violating his last probation, he served 11 months in a Florida prison.

Now Steinbrenner is bringing Strawberry back. The Boss isn't naive. He
must know the odds are against Strawberry's turning into a model of
lifetime sobriety.

But Steinbrenner evidently believes that Strawberry is valuable
anyway. He can help the Yankees develop young players. Hiring him
isn't an act of blind faith or charity. It's a business decision.

I hope it works out. Strawberry has a family. Even the children of
addicts need to eat.

Robert Downey Jr. is another celebrated addict who's back at work. He,
too, has compromised a brilliant talent with wild drug binges. He,
too, has promised many times to clean up. He, too, has been imprisoned
for his failures.

Credit Mel Gibson, the producer and co-star of the new movie ''The
Singing Detective,'' for giving Downey a part. Gibson probably doesn't
suppose that Downey will stay sober forever. Only a fool would think
that.

But Downey is a terrific actor. Why shouldn't he work when he
can?

Same with Rush Limbaugh, who returned to the radio last Monday after
weeks in detox. Like Strawberry and Downey, Rush is a hard-core junkie
who has tried and failed to kick his habit in the past. Like any
addict, he's a long shot for perpetual sobriety. All he can do is try.

Limbaugh, unlike his fellow celebrity addicts, hasn't been imprisoned
for drug use. Prosecutors in Florida will determine whether he'll face
criminal charges. Probably he'll avoid jail --- this time. He won't
avoid astronomical legal bills.

It would be hard to find three Americans more different than
Strawberry, Downey and Limbaugh. And yet they all wound up in the same
situation. It can happen to anybody.

I'm not saying that addicts are innocent bystanders. They choose their
own poison, cause their own problems. And not all of them are nice
people. Some commit crimes to get drugs, or sell them to kids. The
ones that do deserve to be locked up.

But most druggies are neither evil nor dangerous. They are harmless,
damaged people who won't be cured by prison or a financially ruinous
trip through the criminal justice system. In truth, most of them won't
be permanently cured at all.

But that doesn't mean they can't lead worthwhile lives. When he's
sober, Strawberry can still teach kids how to hit. Downey on the wagon
is capable of great performances. And as we now know, Limbaugh is a
brilliant radio entertainer even when he's using.

There are millions like them. They're not as famous as Limbaugh or
Strawberry or Downey. They're not as talented or as well-connected.
But they're not worth throwing away, either.

Zev Chafets is a columnist for the New York Daily News.